Sweatband



March 13, 1951 D. c. LIPPMANN SWEATBAND FiledAug. 7, 1947 INVENTOR.

DANIEL C-LJPFMANN. f

%K ORNEYS Patented Mar. 13, 1951 SWEATBAND Daniel C. Lippmann, New York, N. Y., assignor to Celanese Corporationof America, a, corporation of Delaware Application August 7, 1947, Serial No. 766,987

This invention relates to sweat bands for hats and other head gear, and relates more particularly to sweat bands comprising an assembly of textile materials.

An important object of this invention is the provision of an improved sweat band for hats and other head gear which is moisture-proof and which cushions the hat on the head of the wearer affording exceptional comfort.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The sweat bands of the present invention comprise an inner strip or cushion of interlaced or matted staple fibers, at least the major portion of which has a basis of a thermoplastic material, and an outer textile fabric envelope enclosing said cushion. The inner fibrous cushion has its surfaces so modified as to form skins thereon which not only prevent any staple fibers from slipping out through the fabric envelope, but also assist in preventing moisture (perspiration) from passing through the sweat band from the head side thereof to the fabric of the hat. The envelope may beof any suitable fabric and need not be of close weave since, as indicated above, the staple fibers of the inner cushion will not have any tendency to pass through the fabric, being confined by the surface skins. However, it is preferred to employ a warp-knit fabric, such as jersey, as such a fabric has been found to afford the maximum comfort to the head of the wearer.

The inner fibrous cushion may be prepared in any suitable manner. For example, staple fibers, at least the major portion of which has a basis of a thermoplastic material, in the form of bundles or pencils may be blown into a chamber where they are opened up and maintained in a turbulent condition, i. e. in the form of a loose, whirling mass. The loose mass may be continuously drawn down by suction on to a foraminous belt, the mixing of the fibers within the chamber causing the fibers to deposit onsaid foraminous belt in interlaced or interlocked condition which is necessary to maintain them in the form of a batting. The batting is then subjected to a del gree of heat and pressure sufiicient to coalesce the thermoplastic organic derivative of cellulose staple fibers on the surfaces of the batting to form on said surfaces a skin which binds the surface fibers together, without causing any substantial coalescence of the staple fibers between the skins. The batting formed may then be cut into strips of the width and length desired to form the inner cushion.

While the thermoplastic fibers employed pref- Claims. (CL 2181) erably may comprise any organic derivative of cellulose as, for example, cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate and cellulose butyrate, mixed esters such as cellulose acetate-propionate and cellulose actetate-butyrate, and cellulose ethers such as ethyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose, fibers of other thermoplastic materials may also be employed. Examples of such other thermoplastic materials are synthetic linear polyamide condensation products, polymeric vinyl halides such as polyvinyl chloride or 00- polymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, polymerized vinylidene chloride, polymerized methacrylic acid esters such as polymerized methyl methacrylate and the like. Fibers of nonthermoplastic materials which may be mixed with the thermoplastic materials may be cotton, silk, wool, regenerated cellulose and like materials.

In the accompanying drawing, which serves to illustrate this invention,

Fig. 1 is a view of a portion of a hat band made in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a side-elevational view of the inner strip or cushion employed, and

Fig. 3' is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

In the drawing, the reference numeral 4 indicates generally a portion of the sweat band for a hat. The sweat band 4 comprises an inner fibrous strip or cushion 5, the surfaces of which have been treated to form skins 5 and I thereon. The fibrous cushion is inserted into a textile fabric envelope 8, the overlapping longitudinal edges 9 and II are preferably sealed by inserting therebetween a strip l2 of laminating fabric made of or containing thermoplastic organic derivative of cellulose filaments, and subjecting said edges with the laminating strip therebetween to the action of heat and pressure as is well understood in the art. While it is preferred to employ a laminating strip as the sealing medium since there is obtained thereby a smooth seal, other means may be employed for joining said longitudinal edges, for example, the edges may be joined by sewing the same together or by applying thereto a suitable liquid adhesive medium.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A sweat band for a hat or other head g r, mprising a cushion of staple fibers, having a basis of a thermoplastic material and havin skins of coalesced fibers on the surface only thereof, enclosed in a textile fabric envelope,

2. A sweat band for a hat or other head gear, comprising a cushion of interlaced staple fibers, having a basis of a thermoplastic organic derivative of cellulose material and having skins of coalesced fibers on the surfaces only thereof, enclosed in a textile fabric envelope.

3. A sweat band for a hat or other head gear,-

comprising a cushion of interlaced staple fibers, having a basis of cellulose acetate material and having skins of coalesced fibers on the surfaces only thereof, enclosed in a textile fabric envelope.

4. A sweat band for a hat or other head gear, comprising a cushion of interlaced staple fibers, having a basis of cellulose acetate material and having skins of coalesced fibers on the surfaces only thereof, enclosed in a textile fabric envelope having longitudinal edges, the longitudinal edges .of said sweat band being sealed by a strip of laminating material.

5. A sweat band for a hat or other head gear, comprising a cushion of interlaced staple fibers, having a basis of cellulose acetate material and having skins of coalesced fibers on the surfaces only thereof, enclosed in a textile fabric envelope having longitudinal edges, the longitudinal edges of said sweat band being sealed by a strip of laminating material containing thermoplastic filamentary materials.

DANIEL C. LIPPMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,296,051 Curtis Mar. 4, 1919 1,351,893 Curtis Sept. '7, 1920 2,031,636 Dreyfus Feb. 25, 1936 2,343,408 Glass Mar. '7, 1944 2,377,933 Glass June 12, 1945 2,490,446 Lee Dec. 6, 1949 

